Combination bookcase-desk



March 9, 1965 R. ALLEN 3,172,712

COMBINATION BOOKCASE-DESK Filed June '7, 1963 FIG. I

INVENTOR. RAYMOND ALLEN A TTORNEY gm W;

United States Patent Ofiice 3,172,712 Patented Mar. 9, 1965 3,172,712 CGD/HSINATION BOGKCASE-DESK Raymond Allen, Rte. 5, Box 558, Caldwell, Idaho Filed June 7, 1963, Ser. No. 286,316 1 Qlairn. (Cl. 312-197) This invention relates to furniture and more particularly to an article of furniture in the nature of a combined desk and bookcase.

An object of the invention is to provide a combination bookcase-desk which is highly attractive in appearance, economical to construct, compact, easy to operate and ideally suited for use in an ofiice, home library or study.

Another object of the invention is to provide a combination furniture unit of the mentioned type having rotatable storage chambers which may contain sliding drawers and storage shelves for books and the like and wherein the drawers and shelves are readily adjustable vertically and selectively accessible to the user seated at the front of the furniture unit.

Another object is to provide a combination bookcasedesk which will increase the overall efficiency of an office by saving time and floor space and which will encourage neatness, the use of the device allowing frequently used books and other articles to be always at the finger tips of the user.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent during the course of the following detailed description.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this application and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same,

FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view of a combination bookcase-desk embodying the invention,

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view thereof with parts broken away and parts in section,

FIGURE 3 is a transverse vertical section taken on line 3-3 of FIGURE 2, and

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical section taken on line 4- of FIGURE 2.

In the drawings, wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown a preferred embodiment of the invention, the numeral 1% designates a combination bookcase-desk in its entirety, comprising a flat rectangular desk top 11, securely mounted upon a frame 12, and which frame includes front and rear corner legs 13 and 14 and intermediate front legs 15, as indicated in the drawings. The rear legs 14 are rigidly interconnected by a deep horizontal crossbrace 16, which, if preferred, may be formed as a rear panel extending to the bottom of the frame so as to close in the back of the furniture unit substantially to the floor. A shallow horizontal crossbar or brace 17 serves to rigidly interconnect the tops of the front legs 13 and 15. The bottoms of the several legs 13, 14 and are further rigidly interconnected and braced by bottom horizontal plates or panels 18, rigid therewith or by suitable crossbraces, if preferred. The framework of the bookcase-desk thus constructed is extremely rigid and sturdy.

The bookcase-desk It) further comprises on each side thereof a cylindrical rotatable sliding drawer and storage shelf unit 19 having a vertical axis of rotation. Each unit 19 has circular top and bottom walls and 21, arranged respectively below the desk top 11 and above the bottom panel 18 and arranged substantially centrally with respect to the pairs of legs 13 and 15 and between the front and back of the supporting frame.

Each unit 19 further comprises spaced opposed upstanding cylindrically curved side wall portions 22, rigidly interconnecting the top and bottom walls 213 and 21 and a central vertical divider panel 23 rigidly interconnecting the side Wall portions 22 and the top and bottom walls 2% and 21. The panel 23 thus divides each cylindrical unit 19 into front and back semi-cylindrical sections or compartments for shelves and sliding drawers in various arrangements, as will be further described.

Each unit 19 has pairs of vertical parallel spaced divider panels 24 and 25 at right angles to the panel 23 and arranged on opposite sides thereof and rigidly connected therewith and with the edges of the side wall portions 22 and the top and bottom walls 20 and 21. The panels 24- and 25 have spaced vertical rows of vertically spaced openings 26 formed therethrough for a purpose to be described.

Each rotatable unit 19 is provided at its top and bottom with axially aligned bearings 27 and 28 having pin portions engageable rotatably within openings in the bottom face of the desk top 11 and bottom panels 18, thus allowing free rotation of each unit 19 upon its vertical axis. Each unit 19 has a releasable latch device shown in detail in FIGURE 4, to allow selective positoning of the rotatable unit in either of two main positions with the divider panel 23 parallel to the front and back of the bookcase-desk and with either the panels 24 or the panels 25 facing forwardly. Each such latch device comprises a push button 29 projecting through an opening 30 in the desk top 11 near a rear corner thereof, and secured to a vertically swingable lever 31, pivoted intermediate its ends at 32 on a suitable bracket 33 secured to the under side of the desk top. Each lever 31 carries a leaf spring 34 on one side of the pivot 32,

earing against the bottom of desk top 11 and urging the push button 29 upwardly. A locking pin 35 on the bottom of lever 51 near its end remote from the push button 29 is selectively engageable within either of two diametrically opposed openings 36 formed within the top wall 24 of each unit 19. The locking pin 35 securely locks the rotatable unit 19 in the position shown in FIGURE 2 or in another position where the unit is rotated degrees from the position shown in FIG- URE 2. Each unit 19 is independently releasable for manual rotation by merely depressing the push button 2? associated therewith for elevating the locking pin 35 from the adjacent opening 36. Other types of locking means than the one illustrated in the drawing may be employed, if preferred, including friction locking means or other well-known types of positive locking devices. If preferred, the units 19 may be motor-driven rather than manually operated and suitable push button controls can easily be provided.

Hook-like supporting pins 37 are selectively engageable within the openings 26 of panels 24 and 25, in pairs arranged at the same elevation, FIGURE 3. These pins are therefore readily adjustable vertically upon the units 19 to provide a variable and selective spacing for removable book shelves 38 and sliding drawers 39 which as shown in FIGURE 3 are arranged on opposite sides of the divider panels 23 and between the panels 24 and 25. If preferred, each unit 19 may contain sliding drawers only or shelves only on both sides of the panel 23 or a mixture of shelves and drawers on opposite sides of the divider panel in any desired arrangement and in any vertically spaced relation, to accommodate books and articles of various sizes. This construction renders the furniture unit quite flexible and variable in its work holding capacity, as should now be obvious.

Between the rotatable storage units 19, the bookcasedesk has the usual central sliding drawer it accessible at the front of the desk, and supported upon suitable rails 41 suspended from the frame top, intermediate the units 19. The forward portion of the drawer 40 is flared at 42 on both sides thereof to conform to the curvature of the cylindrical units 19 and to provide a snug fitting clean-looking design, as depicted in FIGURE 1. As shown in this figure, one of the units 1% is positioned and locked with the shelves 38 facing forwardly while the other unit 19 has the drawers 39 thereof facing forwardly.

In light of the above description, it is believed that the use or operation of the invention will be fully apparent to those skilled in the art, as well as the advantages incident thereto. ln addition to its increased utility over known devices, the bookcase-desk has a striking appearance rendering it a highly desirable furniture piece for commercial or home usage. It can be constructed of various materials including wood or metal and finished as desired. it can readily be made for sale as an inexpensive article or as a richly finished deluxe or relatively expensive article.

It is to be understood that the form of the invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same, and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement or parts may be resorted to, without departing from the spirit of the invention or scope of the subjoined claim.

Having thus described my invention, 1 claim:

A combination bookcase-desk comprising a supporting framework including spaced apart frame sections having horizontal base members adapted to rest upon a floor, a horizontal desk top on said framework spanning said sections, there being a space between said sections below a central portion of said desk top, a pair of vertical axis rotatable storage cylinder units journaled for rotation upon and within the frame sections and beneath end portions of the desk top and including top and bottom pins engageable rotatably within openings in the underface of said desk top and top face of said base members respectively, each said rotatable storage cylinder unit comprising a central vertical divider panel extending diametrically thereacross substantially from top to bottom thereof and pairs of spaced vertical support panels on opposite sides of the divider panel substantially at right angles thereto and extending substantially from the top to the bottom of said unit and spaced equidistantly on opposite sides of the vertical axis of rotation of the unit, each unit having top and bottom walls connected with the top and bottom edges of said panels, said vertical support panels each having spaced vertical rows of vertically spaced through openings formed therein, adjustable support pins selectively mountable within pairs of said openings in said rows at common elevations on opposite sides of said divider panel, sliding drawers bodily mounted upon said pins on one side of the divider panel, storage shelves resting upon said pins on the other side of the divider panel, a latch member pivoted to the underside of the desk top above a peripheral portion of the top wall of each rotatable unit and including a depending detent part and a spring to urge the detent part downwardly, each unit top wall having a pair of diametrically spaced locking openings each adapted to receive the detent part in locking relation, whereby either said drawers or shelves may be positioned and locked at the front of said bookcasedesk, each pivoted latch member having an upstanding push button thereon at the end thereof remote from the detent part and biased upwardly by said spring, and said desk top having a through opening near each side thereof for each push button whereby each push button can be operated from above the desk top and may lie substantially flush therewith in the normal position thereof.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 343,641 6/86 Little 312197 X 855,951 6/07 Hull 312305 X 1,416,689 5/22 Clutter 312-305 X 2,266,268 12/41 Robinson 312206 FOREIGN PATENTS 752,058 9/33 France.

FRANK B. SHERRY, Primary Examiner.

CHANCELLOR E. HARRIS, Examiner. 

